LIFESTYLE AND LIVING
Winter Magic Galuchat Design celebrates ‘getting cozy’ over the coming months...
As leaves stop falling, I wonder when snow is arriving, marking the real start of that favourite festive winter season? No matter the politics, trials and tribulations of our current topsy-turvy world, there is nothing like a breath of fresh, crisp air, a thickly laden cottony sky, to open the mind and conjure up warm, fuzzy feelings of escape to higher summits. Yes, if all goes well, for some of us, the mountain is calling and the hills will be alive again with the sound of laughter and abandon. Winter holiday magic is a matter of contrasts.
libations and oozy rich cheese in all possible guises. And pause. Time to reflect, take stock. Enjoy. Just be. The backdrop to such moments is key. We look for comfort and softness, in a framework of reassuring solidity. We want cushy sofas, furry blankets, velvet armchairs, padded headboards, thick marshmallow duvets and woolly curtains, all enhanced by the golden hues of a well-tended fire, subtle lighting, suggestive shadows. We want sturdy, aged wood, knots and veins telling stories of ancient forests, calloused hands crafting shelter
Is there anything more delightful, after a thrilling, chilling downhill run, than a warm pause by a blazing fire, igniting your insides with cocoa or mulled wine? Can there be a starker contrast than the heady vastness of sparkling mountain below you and snowy sky above you, compared to the dense, paved streets, peppered with human beings, buildings and vehicles, left behind only a few hours ago? We ask of our winter breaks that they bring escape and change. Challenging us physically, with athletic feats, daredevil stunts, robust hikes and dizzying heights, braving elements and endurance. Rewarding us physically, with soothing massages, hot tubs, sweet 50 | EDUCATION CHOICES MAGAZINE | W I N T E R 2 02 1
for weary travellers. We want noble slate, granite and wrought iron, recalling age-old traditions and trade secrets, passed on, perfected over time, allowing their patina to shield you as you surrender, shedding all of the last few months’, years’, weight off your shoulders. And if hopping on a metal bird to escape to these mountainous
